Wire suspender-buckle



' (No Model.)

' J. P; MOLLOY. WIRE SUSPENDER BUCKLE.

Patented Apr. 10, 1894.

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wAaum UNITED; STATES PATENT vFarce.

JAMES F. MOLLOY, on NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

WIRE SUSPENDER-BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 517,875, dated April 10, 1894.

Application filed July 24, 1893. SerialNo. 481,261. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. MOLLOY, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Wire Suspender-Buckles; and l do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in front elevation of one form which a buckle constructed in accordance -w1th my invention may assume; Fig. 2, a rear view thereof; Fig. 3, a View of the buckle in side elevation; Fig. 4., a view of the buckle in vertical central section on the line w x of Fig. 1 and showing it applied to a piece of webbing; Fig. 5, a view of the buckle in horizontal section on the line yy of Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a view in front elevation of one of the modified forms which abuckle constructed in accordance with my invention may assume; Flg. 7, a similar broken view of another modified form of my improvement.

My invention relates to an improvement in wire suspender buckles, the object being to produce a simple, effective and convenient article, which may be adjusted on the webbing without interference with its body-portion.

With these ends in view, my invention conslsts 1n a wire suspender-buckle, having certain details of construction and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed outin the claims.

In the three forms in which I have chosen to illustrate my invention, the body-portion of the buckle comprises a wire frame, and a wire lever, one having a depending loop, and the other a depending hook, adapted to 'pass through the same. I would have it understood, however, that my invention is not limited to wire buckles of that particular descriptlon.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the body-portion of the buckle comprises an oblong rectangular frame, having parallelsides A A, and parallel ends B B, and a loop 13 depending centrally from the lower side A. The said part is formed from a single piece of wire, the ends of which are inserted into the opposite ends of a straight tube A which forms a part of the upper side A. The lever of the buckle is formed from a single piece of wire, and comprises a lower side 0, a hook D, depending from the center thereof, ends E E, and hooks F F. The said frame is pivotally suspended by its said hooks from short tubular bearings G G, formed upon the lower edge and near the opposite ends of a sheetmetal cross-bar G, the ends of which are fastened to the ends'B B of the frame of the buckle and which is located between the parallel upper and lower sides ofv the frame with spaces between its edges and the said sides through which the web may pass. As thus constructed, the wire lever swings in the rear of the wire frame, its hook projecting forward through the loop thereof for coupling the two parts together. The sheet-metal crossbar G has its middle-portion struck forward to form a recessg, and two shoulders g 9 formed at the ends thereof. The said recess receives'a sheet-metal catch H, provided at its opposite ends and at or near its upper end, with trunnions h h, which pass through openings h it formed in the shoulders g 9 before mentioned. The upper edge of the said catch has an inwardly turned finger k which-bears against the cross-bar G, whereby 80. the catch is held in its open and closed positions, the said cross-bar and catch, either or both, yielding to permit the catchto be turned on its trunnions. The lower edge of the catch has an operating finger H, by means of which 8 5 it is engaged, and thrown into itsopen position, and with two teeth It k which take into the webbing I, and grip the same, whereby the buckle is prevented from being drawn downward on the webbing when the catch is in its 0 closed position. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4

of the drawings, which represents a buckle constructed in accordance with my invention as applied to a piece of webbing. It will be apparent that if the buckle is moved upward 5 on the webbing, the catch will be thrown outward out of the way, by the riding of its teeth over the webbing, while on the other hand, if the buckle is drawn downward on the webbing, the teeth of the catch will be drawn into rco the same and held firmly. By throwing the catch into its open position, in which it is shown by broken lines in the said figure, it is apparent that the buckle may be readily slipped up and down on the webbing. It will thus be seen that in order to move the buckle upon the webbing, it is neither necessary to separate the hook and loop of the lever and frame, nor to disturb the catch, and furthermore that the buckle may be moved freely up and down on the webbing by simply opening the catch, and without disconnecting the loop and hook. My improved construction, therefore, forms a buckle which is not only effective, but extremely convenient in use.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 6 of the drawings, the body portion of the buckle is composed of a wire frame J,having a central depending hook J, and a lever K, havinga central depending loop K, adapted to receive the hook J before mentioned. In this construction the lever is hung in front of the frame, its ends being inserted into two short tubular bearings L L, formed upon the upper edge of the sheet-metal cross-bar L, to which the sheet-metal spring-catch M, is pivoted. The buckle under consideration is not essentially different from the buckle first described, but has its lever located in front instead of behind the frame. It also has the position of the hook and loop reversed, the loop being formed upon the lever, and the hook upon the frame.

In the modified construction shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, the wire lever N, is located behind the wire frame 0, and has its ends extended through short tubular bearings 19, formed upon the upper edge of the cross-bar P, the said ends of the lever N, being projected through the said hearings to form trunnions to which the sheet-metal springcatch Q, is pivotally secured. This construction shows that it is not necessary to secure the catch to the cross-bar, but that it may be secured elsewhere to the buckle without departing from my invention. I would therefore have it understood that I do not. limit myself to the exact constructions herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

I am aware that a suspender buckle having a wire body-portion, a sheet-metal crossbar and a pivotal sheet-metal catch is old, and I do not claim that construction broadly.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. The herein described suspender buckle,

having a wire body-portion with parallel sides and parallel ends, a sheet-metal cross-bar located between the parallel sides of the frame with spaces between -its edges and the said sides for the web'to be passed through, and having its ends attached to the ends of the frame, and a pivotal sheet-metal catch located back of the cross-bar and engaging at its upper end with the rear face of the said bar which holds it in its open and closed positions, and extended at its lower end below the lower edge of the cross-bar, and provided with teeth for engaging with the rear face of the web, the outer face of which is engaged -by another portion of the buckle, substantially as described.

2. The herein described suspender buckle. having a wire frame with parallel sides and parallel ends, and a pivotal wire lever,one of the said parts being formed with a depending loop and the other with a depending hook to pass through the same, a sheet-metal cross-bar located between the parallel sides of the frame with spaces between its edges and the said sides for the web to pass through, and having its ends connected with the ends of the frame, and a pivotal sheet-metal catch mounted in the said cross-bar and engaging at its upper end with the rear face thereof, whereby the said cross-bar holds it in its open and closed positions, and extending at its lower end below the lower edge of the crossbar, and provided with teeth which take into the rear face of the Webbing, substantially as described.

3. A Suspender-buckle having a wire frame and a wire lever adapted to be coupled together, a sheet-metal cross bar having its ends applied to the ends of the said frame, and having its middle portion shaped to form a recess, flanked at each end by a shoulder, a sheet-metal catch located in the said recess, furnished at its ends with trunnions which enter perforations formed in the said shoulders, and having teeth located below its said trunnions and taking into the web, substantially as described. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAS. F. MOLLOY.

Witnesses:

J OHN H. OoNDoN, ROBERT LYNN. 

